England vs Australia 2018: 5 Talking Points from 2nd ODI

#1 Plunkett produces game-changing spell

Liam Plunkett dismissed Tim Paine and Shaun Marsh in the space of three balls

Although the contemporary white-ball game has further skewed the balance between bat and ball in favour of the former, the importance of possessing a wicket-taking bowler came to the fore yet again. Often in the shadow of their explosive batting counterparts, England's bowlers have recently come under immense scrutiny for their lack of variety. However, it was a seamer who sealed victory this time around.

Operating with bustling pace, Liam Plunkett hit the deck hard to extract maximum leverage from the surface. After outclassing Marcus Stoinis, he returned in the death overs to turn the game in England's favour. With Australia needing 53 runs from their last five overs, the game seemed to be slipping away from the hosts' grasp.

Plunkett could have had Paine's scalp in the first ball of the 46th over. But Moeen Ali failed to cling on to a skier. The robustly-built pacer accounted for the Australian skipper off the very next delivery. He delivered the killer blow in the same over. When his well-disguised slower one castled centurion Marsh, the door was all but closed firmly on the tourists.